Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-03-24
TWELVE MEN ROASTED.
a SUDDEN FIRE IN A WOODEN BOARD
ING HOUSE

Results in a Horror Equal TO the Buffalo
Holoeaust-Remains of the Victims All
Buried In the Same Box-Narrow Es-
cape of the Other Misunderstanding
Mine Disaster in Wales:
BEssEMER, Mich, March 2i.-At o'clock
Weines lay morning Mr.. Frank Miller, her
night-dress on fire aud her hair streaming
behihi her, burst from the boarding house
kept by her husban1 and, screaming with
fright and pain, ran to throw herself into a
small stream near the house An instant
later the VIII 10 house, two-Storv, him,y
structure of wool, was enyelopei in flames
Impediately following Mrs Miller came her
husband and two servant girls, all in their
night Clothes anil screaming in terror and
excitement The flames gathered force with
astonishing rapiiity, and by the time the
neighbors, attracted by the cries of those
who had ESCAPED, had reached the place it
seemed impossible that any Of those in the
blazing building could be saved NJ Miller
was just about to make desperate effort to
reach the imprisoned boarders when one man
appeared at all upper window, forced il
St/S'A TIM iSul'7t W thc LsEutitf. he WAS IUi-
lowed by twelve Others, most Of whom
writhed on the frozen ground with broken
limbs or agonizlng burns until they were re
moved TO places of safety
This had taken place IN rapidly that Mrs.
Miller mad Just had time to return. She
screamed that her c1il,irtAs were in the burn
ing building AMI dsshe-i into the house. fol-
lowed by her husband l. was thought that
they had gone to certain death. but in mo-
ment they reappaarel nth their two chill
dren. The little ones were almost suffo-
Gated with smoke, bmt bad not sustained
other injury, and both soon revived.
Meantime two or three Of the twelve men
still in the upper story could be seen ap-
parently cropping about in the smoke and
beaten bacI from the sin lows by the flames.
Al were in one room, Tut it was impossible
TO reach them from the street PRAYERS and
mad cries went up from thu haif-crazed
crowd Jump OF die, was the last note of
warning as the bull ing fell, carrying with it
into the mass Of coal aui f1mes the twelve
men.
These uniortInates were; Max Privi-
'telli, recent conner from New York: John
Sutton, Harry Sam, John LYONS, Simon
Rlzzo, an Italian who formerly worked at
Hoboken; Thomas Bragg, John Brazza,
William Williams, James Garvey, John
Raal, James Ryan, ard an unknown
1t was less than forty minutes from the
time the first alarm was given until the
building was III ruins AID twelve lives had
been sacrificed. Two hours later the charred
bones were foanl N hear III the cellar and
were gathered into "Ge box Over this
CHASTITY pile the corJn.r II an Inquest. ex
GENERATING everybody from blame At noon
the funeral was held ami was attended by
$50 of the / ,2o person, that make ua the
town
Mrs. Miller. who Is badly but not fatally
burned, says she was awakened by sitting
smoke and seemed hsr,iiy able to move b.
extraordinary exerti3n she overcame the
stupor and aroused her husband. Thay
called loudly 10 tho boariers and escaped As
best they could Nothing is known here Of
the dead man burned beyond the bare facts
already given. They were laborers and
miners and had no friends in this region who
had known them lone. Bessemer is one of
the toughest of tie Michigan mining tows.
and is tue scene of nightly brawls and occa-
slonaiy murder, tut Wednesday night
every man In town was sober and every
saloon closed. Several of the rescued men
are badly burned Gai may die.